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TV Toaster is a blog dedicated to reviews of movies (some new), TV shows (mostly old), and music (we prefer the classics). We also feature quotes, favorite scenes, and other goodies that catch my eye and keep me amused.

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I’ve seen this movie twice in the last ten days, and, with scenes still (happily) swirling around in my head, now seems like as good a time as any to compile my comments.

CAUTION! SPOILERS!

With Captain America and the Winter Soldier, the writers checked Requisite Bromance off their list of Marvel movie staples.

Natasha Romanoff: Looking over your shoulder should be second nature.
Sam Wilson: Anyone ever tell you you’re a little paranoid?
Natasha Romanoff: Not to my face. Why, did you hear something?

Thumbsup on the continuity, having the leaked Hydra information be what led Zemo to the trigger words/book.

I truly hated that the Avengers were being taken to task for the aftermath of those attacks. The Avengers didn’t unleash other-worldly aliens on New York. The Avengers didn’t crash SHIELD’s flying fortress in DC. The Avengers didn’t choose Sokovia as ground zero in their plan to destroy the world. In all those cases, they tried to help, even though, no, they couldn’t save everyone. I think I hated this line of the plot so much because it plays out so often in real life: people who don’t! do! anything! rush to shame and blame whenever someone else makes an effort.

I also HATED Tony Stark trying so hard (and so uncharacteristically) to appease the secretary of state, Ross. Being so wealthy, Tony certainly has the most to lose if he’s branded a criminal, but I don’t think his motivation for agreeing with Ross is self-preservation. One of the few reviews I read of this movie pointed out that Tony’s faith in himself is shaken after his causing the Ultron fiasco (and feeling responsibility for all the damage from that), not to mention his failure on a personal level with Pepper. I think we’ve all been there: made some bad choices and found ourselves wanting someone else to do the heavy lifting, to make the decisions and tell us what to do next. But most of the time, it’s not that easy. The responsibility remains ours. And that is as it should be. For better or worse, we each have to do our part. As Peter Parker put it, “When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen? They happen because of you.”

Ross’s repeated demands to be in charge strike me as a red flag, especially when it seems that the Avengers will have no voice in the decision making: in that light, the neatly-bound Sokovia Accords bear a strong resemblance to a red book with a black star on it. Ross (oh, right, “the panel”) basically wants a team of winter soldiers, but as we see with Barnes, the problem with such tight reins is that someone else can take them. No doubt speaking from recent experience, Cap warns that people have agendas, and Zemo demonstrates the lengths to which some will go for them.

Another line for the drinking game: “A super-person wears a hat/sunglasses/hoodie in an effort to blend in.”

When Barnes was framed, I thought of The Fugitive, except there, someone was framed BY the one-armed man; here, the one armed man WAS framed.

Cap’s the best kind of friend: the kind who believes the best in you when no one else does… Not even you. And he doesn’t just say, “I know he didn’t do it”… then sit there. He moves to help, even at great personal cost.

It’s pretty awesome that the cure for Hydra programming is the same as that for TV show amnesia: being rendered unconscious.

Barnes says later that he remembers all of his victims, but when he comes to after being “triggered,” he asks, “What did I do?” He does seem like he’s a bit high/coming off a drunk. Perhaps coming out of the programming and back to his senses is kind of hazy, like waking up out of an intense dream.

I wasn’t surprised that Barnes could have broken out of their porta-prison; he fights back only when he’s in danger of being returned to a different cage. I think he was complying in an effort to pay his dues. Cap tried to dismiss Barnes’ earlier actions as being controlled by someone else. In Barnes’ case, the extent of his responsibility is debatable, but while some would relish such a pass (“They made me do it!”), Barnes still acknowledges that he was the one who did those things.

“I used to think of myself one way. But after this… I am something else. And still me, I think. But that’s not what everyone else sees.” Wanda’s declaration could also apply to Barnes… and to each of the Avengers, to varying degrees. Except maybe Vision.

It was nice to see even Vision finding a bit of humanity, being distracted by Wanda, when not even he thought it was possible for him to be distracted.

I liked how Barnes and Mackie smile, knowing that kissing Agent Carter is a milestone for Steve.

I also liked how everyone is such a fan of Cap.

“Help me, Wanda.” Barton’s nod to the Beach Boys?

When I first heard that this installment was about “civil war,” I put off seeing it, and when I finally decided to go, I was fully prepared to hate it. But I didn’t, primarily because even as The Avengers started to divide, both sides maintained respect. The attitude was, “I hate that it’s come to this” but each stood their ground. Without that respect, the dividing plot would’ve been intolerable to me.

“I don’t know if you’ve been in a fight before, but there’s usually not this much talking.” Methinks this is a pointed (albeit good-natured) jab at nearly every comic book fight… including the ones in this movie.

I didn’t like the Peter Parker character being so young and inexperienced, although his fawning and uninhibited observations certainly lightened the atmosphere. Plus, if he was older and experienced, the fight might’ve ended a different way.

“You have the right to remain silent…” Spiderman to Barnes and Mackie XD

“I picture you as a redhead.” “You must be thinking of someone else.” “Must be.” Tony Stark and Friday. Hmm, what redhead might he be thinking of??

Cap confesses knowing that Barnes killed Stark’s parents, but how long had Cap known? It’s logical to assume that Barnes recounted details when he told Sam and Cap of Zemo’s interest in that December mission. But it’s also likely that Cap researched all he could while he was looking for Barnes, so maybe he knew even before the events of this movie.

Shades of Buffy the Vampire Slayer character Angel with the Winter Soldier tormented by memories of all his victims.

* I miss Loki. I guess the guy can’t be in every movie… then again, why not? (As Paul McCartney would say, “What’s wrong with that, I’d like to know.”) I think his absence is what made seeing this film more of an “I’ll get to it sometime” rather than “I’m SO there on opening weekend!”

* While I liked this movie, others have raised the bar pretty high for me, so I’d place A2 way down on the list when ranking my favorite Marvel offerings. After the first Avengers, the early 2000s Spiderman 2 and 1, the year 2000 X-men, the two Thors, Iron Man 1 and 2, the two Captain Americas… So far, A2 ranks somewhere above Iron Man 3 and the two original X-men sequels.

* I intensely disliked the preachy Ultron. An article I read after the first Avengers expressed the theory that, while Loki is by far the best Marvel villain, the writer had high hopes that James Spader’s character would give him a run for the title. That writer praised Spader’s ability to bring a character to life with shades of subtle nuance… but I saw none of that because, despite Whedon’s insistence that Spader would be more than a robot’s voice, that’s essentially what he was. If they indeed modeled Ultron after Spader’s expressions, well, they still failed to capture a single nuance.

* I thought having the opening scene in the midst of a battle was a bit muddled. But one advantage of a sequel is that you can assume viewers know the earlier story, so you can skip right to the kicking of butts and the taking of names. (I’m having trouble recalling exactly, but it seems this follows a standard formula for many Marvel sequels.)

* In the opening battle, LOL at the team charging all together, then hold it! a brief pause as if they’re posing for a group photo.

* LOL! also at the guys trying to lift Thor’s hammer. But GROAN! at the blatant setup, with Thor explaining that they must not be worthy. Then, later, the Vision (significantly) hands Thor the hammer. “Oh, so he can lift the hammer. Oh, so he must be worthy. I see what you did there.” 😐

* It was effectively shocking that the secret Hawkeye was hiding was… a normal life. And how weird did normal look, in the midst of Avenger-land? It seemed too good to be true, and I admit, Tony Stark said what I was thinking when he declared of Barton’s wife, “She’s an agent!” The affectionate displays continued when the kids arrived, but Tony insisted, albeit with much less conviction, “They’re… smaller agents.”

* I’m glad that, despite being out in the open with no defenses whatsoever, Barton’s house truly was a safehouse. I was going to be disappointed if Ultron crashed the scene… or if the wife (and kids) turned out to be agents, just another lie.

* I liked that Barton’s wife looked real – not impossibly perfect – with a few fine lines on her face. How refreshing to find someone age-appropriate in such a role, not some 20-year-old trying to pass as the mother of an 8-to-10-year-old.

* Tony Stark told Captain America that he doesn’t trust someone without a dark side. (I think a lot of people feel that way. Which is kind of… messed up. “He’s good; I don’t trust him! This other guy’s bad, so he’s alright.”)

* But I loved Cap’s response: “Maybe you just haven’t seen it yet.” Hmm, are they setting up a future storyline? I’d kinda like to see a dark Cap… but then again, I wouldn’t. I like that he’s solidly good. Heck, “dark” is easy! It’s tougher to make the choice – and to keep making the choice – to rise above your dark side and do the right thing.

* I liked that when someone tried to write the twins off as freaks, Captain America defended them, comparing their situation/cause to his own from back in the day.

* Still, the twins’ hand-holding and looking at each other in their first scene was a bit too third-grade boyfriend-girlfriend for me. :shudders:

* I didn’t get the Black Widow’s “lullaby.” Were her fingertips drugged? Has she mastered the ancient art of sleep-touch?

* As I was trying to decide how I feel about the Widow-Hulk affair, I realized that perhaps for director Joss Whedon this is the new Buffy-Angel, from his TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But maybe the Buffy-Angel angle – forbidden love – is why I lean toward liking Widow-Hulk. I especially liked the way the actors portrayed it. Her, being experienced and jaded (likely jaded BY experience) yet being very understated with Banner, with just the right hint of suggestive. Him, completely stupefied by her attention and pushing her away, and yet oh-so-briefly entertaining the hope of “maybe…”

* Natasha was so understated at some times, her attentions were almost child-like. Perhaps this is a nod to her line from the first movie, “Love is for children”?

* Loved that even with all of Bruce Banner’s trying to push Natasha away, he honed right in on Captain America’s comment: “wait, you’ve seen her flirting??”

* Has Thanos put on weight?

* Barton’s advice to Wanda was basically, “It doesn’t matter what you did: it matters what you do.” Words to live by!

At (very) long last, here are my follow-up, spoiler-laden comments about Thor: The Dark World.

* By far the most compelling relationship in the film is the one between Thor and Loki. Even though that relationship has been strained, and even though Loki’s quick to declare he is not Odin’s son, when Thor and Loki are on their journey, working together, it looks as if deep down, they want their close, brotherly bond back.

* I love how Loki dropped the façade when Thor visited him in prison, not only of what he really looked like, but of how he really felt. “Did she suffer?”

* The scenes where they’re working together are so satisfying, especially the final battle on the dark world. Loki sees the Kursed pounding Thor into the ground, and promptly goes to help.

* Malekith told the Kursed that “no weapon our enemies possess” could stop him. Count on Loki to deduce that the Dark Elves’ oblivion bombs could take out even the Kursed.

* Speaking of Malekith, LOL at him walking in slow motion so much. For that matter, LOL at him in general. After this movie was in theatres, one article claimed that Loki was the best villain in the Marvel universe. That article opined that Malekith had potential to be a great villain, especially since the actor portraying him was a former Dr. Who. (The article’s contention was something along the lines that prosthetics prevented the audience from fully appreciating the actor’s powerful emoting.) Whatever the reason, Malekith generally left me cold. I mean, his single-minded purpose was to darken the universe… and I daresay few of us mere mortals can relate.

* I figured out (okay, just before it was revealed) that Loki and Thor had planned Loki’s “betrayal..” and I love that it wasn’t true. If Loki never truly loved Frigga or any of them, he becomes a boring, one-dimensional character [see: Malekith]. For him to have died fighting alongside Thor, with such honor was a good thing: he found redemption. Still, as my comic-book-loving friend says, “Everyone knows the only comic book deaths that ever lasted were Spiderman’s Uncle Ben and the first Robin.” So, I didn’t believe Loki was actually dead. And, dang it, I’m glad he’s not!

* With the comic-book-death-rule in mind, I expected Frigga to come back. Hey, she still might. 😉

* “Am I not your mother?” “No, you’re not.” Was Loki saying that because he knew he wasn’t actually talking to Frigga? Or was that him sadly realizing – again – that Frigga wasn’t his “real” mother?

* Loki told the Kursed where to go. He played a part in Frigga’s death.

* In my notes, I pondered, “Was Frigga Loki’s last hold to humanity?” But no, I don’t think so. As I said, even though Loki denies it, his brotherly bond with Thor is strong.

* I didn’t appreciate Sif’s flirting with Thor. No, I don’t blame her for doing so. But in the first movie, she seemed to be just one of the guys. Now that his heart’s elsewhere, she’s trying to get him to notice her?

* What was up with Odin? “Your only BIRTHRIGHT-AH! Was to DIE-YEE!” Is this the same guy who lost the will to live when Loki found out his true parentage and blasted Odin for keeping it from him?

* Thor’s comment to Jane that “my father doesn’t know everything” was not only about Jane not surviving, but also about Thor being “better served” by Sif. I think this declaration is to show that Thor is truly advancing, ready to take his father’s place as king.

* Side note: I hate that phrasing “better served.” Odin really is *such* a jerk here. And note how his levels of wisdom and common sense plummeted as his jerkiness quotient increased. I’d say that’s a great big Lesson Learned for all of us.

* Seriously, though, how DID Jane survive? Why would a dark power like the Aether *not* kill its host? Oh, right. They conveniently tricked Malekith into removing it with no side effects.

* #ThumbsDown for Thor telling Loki to “Shut up.” The highly-advanced Asgaardians have that bit of disrespect, too? SIGH!

* #ThumbsDown #FrownyFace for “We’re Americans” “Is that supposed to make them like us?” I REALLY hate it when someone injects their blatant political jabs into my fun action film. (I’m looking at you, Prince of Persia!)

Favorite Quotes – Loki

“You’ll kill me? Evidently, there will be a line.”

“You missed a column.” Loki, being a little brother

“Oh, dear. Is she dead?” Loki, totally unconcerned about Jane

“If it was easy, everyone would do it.” I say this all the time!

“It’s not in my nature to be satisfied.” That makes me sad for him. 😦

“Trust my rage.”

“I didn’t do it for him.”

Favorite Quotes – Other

* “It’s not me.” Thor, when Jane looks to him after the ringtone music starts

Sometimes a song lyric, or even a certain piece of music, really resonates with a listener. A few personal examples:

~ “I forgot how nice romance is.” (“The Longest Time” by Billy Joel) To me, in that part of the song, he’s about to risk taking a chance on love, and he decides it’s worth it. “I forgot how nice romance is” reflects that he’s pleasantly reminded that taking a chance on love can pay off.

~ “Ready to run through the sweet southern pines.” (“Alabama Song” by Allison Moorer.) Being from Alabama, I can relate to this whole song. But as I’m driving on a summer day, and I see the sun shining through the trees in the woods next to me, I feel the same as when the singer passionately pines (pun intended) of being “ready to run… through the sweet southern pines.”

~ I *love* the opening music of Dire Straits’ song “Money for Nothing.” Something about that arrangement… I can just close my eyes and be taken to another place – if only for the brief moment while it plays.

—
In “I Saw The Sign” by Ace of Bass, one of the lines says:

Why do I bother, when you’re not the one for me?

I remember hearing that back when I was fretting over some guy who acted as if he liked me only to switch to being distant and cold when I’d return the interest. I remember noticing that line specifically, and it was so freeing. It was like, “Yeah! WHY am I BOTHERING?”

Even now when I hear that song, that line reminds me not to waste my time on someone who won’t waste his time on me.

One of my favorite 90s songs is Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me) by Blessid Union Of Souls. At first the words give the impression that the singer is bragging about all the things he is, and that’s why “she” likes him. But, mixed in, he seems to be celebrating the fact that she sees the real him – and still loves him. He even ponders, quite transparently, at one point why she “wastes all her time” with him.

But my favorite line is:

“She likes me for me,Not becauseI hang with LeonardoOr that guy who played in Fargo –I think his name was Steve.”

I like this line because he’s revealing how it’s good that she *doesn’t* like him for who he knows, because he is so far out of the A-list crowd [or whatever crowd Steve’s in] that he isn’t even sure of the guy’s name!

I also like this line because it sounds like he gets distracted, like he’s off “chasing a rabbit,” which is something I can totally relate to. In fact, as I’m singing along with the song when it plays on the radio, when it gets to the “I think his name was…” line, I ponderously touch my chin, tilt my head to the side, and look off into the heavens, as if I, too, am distracted by racking my brain trying to recall the guy’s name.